Those norcos were my drug of choice and even though I tried hundreds of times to stop on my own, there was just no way. I knew I needed help. I talked to my doctor who helped me with medication for depression, and she refered me to the alcohol and substance abuse program at the hospital. After a lengthy interview with their counselor, I was accepted into their IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program)

If I were you I would talk to my doctor just to see what my options are. When I did that, my doctor was the first person to congratulate me for taking the initiative and deciding to do everything it took to quit taking norcos for good.

That was 10 years ago, Now I have a great life, and I have never been happier.

Let us know how it goes. People may not respond but many read these and you could be helping someone else.

God Bless

depression and pain come with life. We all have it, just us addicts want to make it better with a distraction rather than face it head on. Pain will go away, it is not forever, and depression will leave you and your Higher Power will get you through this and fill the void after depression.

I have a question - people take Norcos, benzos, other medications which ease their emotional as well as physical pain. You hear so much about "trying to get off of them", rehab, "getting clean", all that - my question is, if you manage to get off the crutch of whatever substance you are relying on, then great - you are no longer addicted. But you are still left with the pain/anxiety/grief/ that prompted you to take them in the first place. What good does it do to "get clean" if you are still left with the original problem? How do you "get clean" from the trauma the substance was helping you with? And please don't mention counseling/mediation/coping/exercise, etc., etc. - you come back from your run or your counseling session and after maybe 10 minutes, the original hurt and pain has reappeared. I've never been able to understand the wisdom behind curing your substance abuse if you are still left with the original problem, one which at that point you have no viable means to deal with.

This is a great question and topic. I feel the same way. Dealing with chronic pain and emotional trauma that is there even when not usuing. It can’t be so black and white can it?

You have an excellent point, MarinW1982. I've been wondering that myself as my one year taper comes down to the last 20%. Then what? I have severe scoliosis of my lumbar spine. I'm now 58 so the older I get, the worse it hurts. I've had it since childhood and my parents never did anything about it. Too busy worrying about my mom's bipolar and type 1 diabetes to care about the kids. Traumas??? Yes I can relate to that too. My father finally got sick of caring for my mom after I decided to move away and try and have a real life with my husband. He killed her a week before we moved and got away with it! The hospital didn't even perform an autopsy because she was 83.: one of the oldest living type 1 diabetics on record. That was 5 years ago. I still feel hurt and bewilderment. So far, I have been weened down from 4 percocet 10/325s and 2 oxycontins a day to now taking 1 and a half 5 mg percocets and one 15mg morphine ir tab at bedtime. At first, my pain actually got better cutting back my dosage but now that I'm only taking 20% of my originial dosage, my pain is getting worse. I am at what I believe is such a small amount now that I am trying to taper off completely before my next pain management appointment in April so I don't have to go anymore. I'm tired of not being able to travel, being chained to these expensive and ridiculous doctor visits every month and living under a frikkin microscope. The meds have gone up, the PM visits have almost doubled and they are getting to the point where soon, I would have to go every 2 weeks to get my scripts. Thank you, FEDS and DEA for doing this to people in legitimate pain. I don't want to be on these meds anymore than anyone else but I took them because they helped with pain and gave me a quality of life. Those days are over but, ya know what?? I am a tough old bird and while living without pain meds will be hell, I will adapt. I may change in some ways for the better and in some ways for the worst, but I will adapt. I don't know if you believe in God but it's a good idea. Praying helps some. God did not do this to me. I made these decisions on my own but He is there to listen if you talk to Him. He won't fix things, at least for me He hasn't. You may say, "what bother?" I say why not? God is a gentleman. He won't force you to do anything. He's just a quiet friend who's there to listen. I've been given no miracles. Only the fortitude to carry on. That's all I can do.